raftsman

[Eng. raft, and man.] One who rafts timber; one who manages a raft; a rafter. "Raftsmen are sometimes swept off there by the current."-Burroughs: Pepacton, p. 33. raft-, a. [Prob. for raffy, from raf (q. v.).] 1. Musty, rancid. "The occidental mansions are, by their moisture, rafty."-Robinson: Eudoxa , p. 146. 2. Damp, misty, foggy; wet and cold. (Prov.) răg, *ragg, *ragge, s . [Prob. A. S.; cf. raggie rough, shaggy; cogn. with Sw. ragg =rough-hair; raggig = shaggy; ragg i = having rough-hair, slovenly; Dan. dial. ragg =rough, uneven hair; raggad =shaggy; Icel. rögg =shaggine ; raggadhr =shaggy; Gael. rag =a rag.] 1. A piece of cloth torn from the rest; a piece of cloth torn or worn till its texture is destroyed; a tatter, a shred; a fragment of cloth or dre . "The dog and rag market is hard by." -Howell : Letters , bk. i., § i., let. 7. 2. ( Pl .): Tattered, torn, or worn out garments; mean or poor dre . 3. A jagged or sharp flaw or fragment projecting from a surface or edge; as, a rag on a metal plate. 4. A ragged fellow; a ragamuffin, a tatterdemalion. "Thancks to the gods, I am not of the raggs Or fagg end of the people." Timon, a Play, p. 10. 5. A provincial term for any rock deposit consist ing of hard, irregular ma es, as Kentish- rag , .; spec if. ragstone (q. v.). would have pre "A clump of sweet chestnuts ferred more depth of soil and better rags."-Gardeners' Chronicle, No. 407, p. 491 (1881). 6. A slang term for a common or low newspaper. 7. The curtain. ( The at. slang.) rag-baby, s . A doll made of cloth. The name has been applied to a party favoring the i ue by the government of fiat paper money.